


Training Day

by thebirdroads



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Other, survivor's guilt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-10
Updated: 2014-07-10
Packaged: 2018-02-08 07:05:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1931280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebirdroads/pseuds/thebirdroads
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the wake of the Exalt's death, Cordelia and Sumia struggle to come to terms with the fact that they are the only pegasus knights left.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Training Day

The silence that seems to have settled over Ylisse in the weeks following the Exalt’s death is broken by the thunk of steel impacting wood, grunts of exertion, and the flap of wings. Cordelia is training, and has been doing so since well before sunrise, without pause. She dives at the training dummy refining her form with the lance. Her pegasus, normally in tune enough to act as an extension of her own body, is failing. Pressed to the breaking point by the constant swooping and diving, the beast is panting, its flanks glistening with sweat. Cordelia, too, is similarly exhausted, but presses on, her lance striking at the dummy again and again. Suddenly, the pegasus collapses beneath her, exhausted, and she falls off due to the sudden shift.

She screams and throws her lance aside as the pegasus staggers to its hooves and makes its way to the drinking trough. Cordelia stands there, taking deep, ragged breaths, and snaps. She hurls herself at the training dummy and tears it down with her bare hands. With a swift kick, she topples the weapon rack next to the broken dummy, sending the lances scattering in the dust. Her energy spent, her screams of rage transform into sobs of grief, as Sumia arrives to see what the commotion is. 

“Cordelia? What’s wrong?”

Cordelia looks up into the eyes of her friend, and sniffs. When she speaks, her voice is raw, as though it belongs to someone else.

“I should have been better.”

Immediately, Sumia hugs her. Cordelia knows better than to pull away. After a moment, Sumia pulls back and looks at Cordelia.

“I won’t have you blaming yourself for the actions of that monster, Cordelia. I won’t have it.”

Cordelia pushes Sumia away.

“It’s not…you don’t get it! Every night I relive that battle in Breakneck Pass. Every NIGHT! If I had been faster, if I had stayed to defend my sisters, if I had done ANYTHING DIFFERENT, Lady Emmeryn and…and Phila would…w-would…” 

Her shoulders shake with sobs as she collapses into Sumia’s arms again.

“They died for ME, Sumia! They died to give me a chance and I can’t even do that! I’ve failed them, and I’ve disgraced their memory, don’t you see? I…I wish I had died back in Breakneck Pass, Sumia. I wish I had died.”

Sumia doesn’t say anything for a while, and Cordelia looks up at her to see that her eyes are filled with tears.

“They were my sisters too, Cordelia.”

“I-I didn’t mean to…”

“No, that’s alright, I know what you meant. I just meant that it hurts me too. I know that you know that, but that’s not why I’m mentioning it.”

She pauses. “Cordelia, nobody in the army blames you. Nobody does. Tharja even offered to…well, perhaps it’s for the best I not mention her plan to cheer you up. That woman’s strange. But more to the point, every day it hurts. There are some mornings when I remember that we’re the last two pegasus knights in Ylisse and it’s hard to get out of bed. But I get up anyway, and do you know why?”

Cordelia sniffles. “Why?”

“Because if I give up, then their sacrifice truly was in vain.”

Cordelia stares at her, uncomprehending.

Sumia wipes a stray tear from Cordelia’s eye. “They died so that we could carry on living. Do I wish that they were still with us, and the Exalt and Phila as well? Of course, every moment. I wish it more than anything in the world. But we owe it to them to honor their sacrifice and to keep fighting on. If we give up, if we don’t live our lives to the best of our ability, then we have truly let them down. Do you understand?”

Cordelia nods. “I get what you’re saying, Sumia. It’s…it’s gonna take some time for me to get to the point where it doesn’t hurt as much, but…thank you.”

They embrace, and Sumia smiles.

“You’re quite welcome, Cordelia.”

She leaves, and Cordelia approaches her pegasus, who is now sitting comfortably on a pile of hay.

“Hey, buddy. Let’s get you back to your stable, okay? You’ve earned a rest.”

**Author's Note:**

> This one came to me suddenly last night while I was thinking about how the Shepherds would deal with the grief of losing Emmeryn, and then I realized that Cordelia's survivor's guilt would be a good starting point. Sumia's appearance only came to mind later.


End file.
